Boullier won't commit to McLaren driver line-up

Going nowhere fast: Jenson Button had a frustrating day as he finished 11th in the Austrian Grand Prix (Image: Hoch Zwei/Action Images)

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Take nothing for granted – that’s the message from McLaren after Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix.

Racing director Eric Boullier’s desire to play down Jenson Button’s fourth place in Canada – the Woking team’s best result since the opening race of the season – was justified by a disappointing day at the Red Bull Ring as Formula One returned there after 11 years away.

Kevin Magnussen’s seventh place, having started in sixth, was four spots ahead of senior colleague Jenson Button, who had qualified as 11th fastest and was unable to improve on that.

The result meant Williams – who had Valterri Bottas in third and Felipe Massa one behind – overtook them into fifth place in the FIA Constructors’ World Champ-ionship. Boullier had argued beforehand that small adjustments made were paying off even if the results were not obvious outside the team.

“Seventh and 11th isn’t the result we were hoping for,” he admitted before adding: “We’re on the right development path, even if the gains we’re making are frustratingly incremental at the moment. We’ll continue to work as hard as we possibly can in an effort gradually to enlarge those gains, but it won’t be an instant fix.”

Hard as McLaren denied it at the launch of the season back in March, there was always a feeling that this campaign might become a prolonged dress-rehearsal for next year, when powerful Honda engines should offer a surge to ambitions.

Already speculation about the team’s driver line-up has started with suggestions of a return for Lewis Hamilton, who departed two years ago for Mercedes but is trailing team-mate Nico Rosberg in the fight for top spot, or Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso.

Button’s contract runs out at the end of the current season and has yet to be renewed – although both parties have made positive noises – while Magnussen is in only his first year and has impressed despite the difficult circumstances.

“We are evaluating or assessing every strategy for the future and we are lucky to have two drivers who want to commit to us for the future.” said Boullier enigmatically this week, adding that there is “no rush”.